Where should we go?

1.
Posted bysapphire(Budding Member 7 posts) 10y
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Hello!My friend and I are planning on going to a country this summer in Europe in the beginning of August for a week. However, we are having a hard time choosing a country.

Last year we went to a few places in Scotland which we absolutely loved! It had everything we were looking for! This year we thought we would go to another country. It's fun to see something new.

We have a list of things that we want to get out of our vaccation! - Beautiful nature, great views- People friendly place- Not a very touristy place, with tourist traps- Visit a larger city and a small town or so..- We don't want the country to be too expensive with accomodation, food etc.

We're thinking of maybe going to a city for 2-3 days and then to a smaller town where we might be able to rent bikes for a day, go to a market, sit at a cafe and just enjoy the place. Maybe go out one night, we're not planning on going partying every day. We're not looking for a trip where we spend most of our time at the beach! We want an adventure and we want to see new places and enjoy life!

So I thought I'd ask you guys here...I appreciate it!

(Oh and we're from Sweden, so we don't want to visit any part of Scandinavia. We're 20 year old..if that helps)

2.
Posted byEleritz(Full Member 55 posts) 10y
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i suggest dalmatian coast in croatia (split and surroundings). it seems to have all you need.

or portugal - lisbon as the big town and beautiful medieval town of óbidos as the small town.

3.
Posted bysapphire(Budding Member 7 posts) 10y
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Thank you for your help Eleritz! I'll check the places out!

4.
Posted bywill13(Full Member 73 posts) 10y
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Vienna, Austria or maybe Italy?

5.
Posted byBlankFrack(Respected Member 280 posts) 10y
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What about Slovenia? It's relatively cheap, there are lots of outdoor activities available, cycling in the Soca Valley is very picturesque, if you want to stay in a city then there is Ljubljana which has some nightlife (not a great deal but it's not bad). For small towns there is Kobarid where you can stay for the night and rent bikes, there are also numerous picturesque cycle trails in that region.

6.
Posted byamorphis(Budding Member 47 posts) 10y
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Hello there,From my own experience several Balkan countries like Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Macedonia fit into the list of criteria you mention. No mass tourism yet (though it is rapidly developing on some parts of the BG Black Sea coast), friendly people, low prices for accomodation and food/drink, very beautiful nature (don't miss e.g. the Bicaz rift when you choose Romania as your destination), etc.etc.Have fun. But be well prepared before you go to the Balkan area, no matter what country/countries you are going to choose. Esp. in the inner country villages and cities, cheap lodging is really hard to find. And take good language guides with you. Knowledge levels of foreign languages are still low on the Balkans, and ... after all, you cannot express everything with body language. Certainly not in times of true need for something or, worse, when you have come in some trouble."Drum bun" (which means 'have a good trip' in Serbo-Croatian).

7.
Posted bysapphire(Budding Member 7 posts) 10y
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Thank you! I've been thinking of Italy (even though I have been there before) and Romania! I've heard a lot of good things about Slovenia as well! I'm going to look into it some more!

Is it hard to communicate with the locals in countries like Romania and Slovenia? Do they speak any English? I really don't know much about that area since I have never been there! I'm also wondering what the weather is like in August?

8.
Posted byamorphis(Budding Member 47 posts) 10y
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Sapphire, just (re-)read the lines i've written in my earlier post about the (low) general knowledge of foreign languages in Balkan countries. Slovenia is, however, more promising than Romania and Bulgaria in this respect. I propose you let the forum know where you will end up, eventually. Ok?As far as the weather is concerned, the Balkan inland has a continental climate, meaning hot/dry summers and cold/snowy winters. In Summer the daily heat (25 to 35 C) is frequently interrupted by short periods of heavy rainfall, with thunder and lightning to complete the scene.

9.
Posted byEleritz(Full Member 55 posts) 10y
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Quoting sapphire

Thank you!

Is it hard to communicate with the locals in countries like Romania and Slovenia? Do they speak any English?

If there is any post-communist European country where many people speak English, it is Slovenia. Bars, restaurants, railway stations, hotels, everybody speaks English. The situation in other post-Yugoslav countries is worse than in Slovenia, but still better than in Romania (where the most popular foreign language is French) and especially Bulgaria, where it is really hard to find people speaking foreign languages.

10.
Posted bysapphire(Budding Member 7 posts) 10y
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amorphis I know what you wrote! I might have been a bit unclear to what I wanted to say though. Basically I wanted to know if they speak any English at all or if just some people speak it.Of course I'll let you know where we end up going!

Eleritz Thank you for explaining that! I find it weird that not many people speak English in Bulgaria as it has become a very popular place to visit.